Sprung Spring

oh goodness, this is so strange. I'm approaching a year in Brooklyn, and holy shit! i'm so so happy. i can't count too many letdowns. aside from triple the rent and less than triple the pay, everything is coming up roses. I'm excited for summer..the impending bicycle purchase, visit from Krissie, and BBQs apparently. having a job for 3 days a week and a DJ gig to supplement means enough free time to Jazzer, adventure, and laundry my life into something pretty manageable and enjoyable. hopefully a trip to Boston at the end of the month of May, and i'll feel like i really am utilizing this whole living in the northeast strategy. Also being in love with the Celtics with the Knicks second, it makes sense to meeeeeeeee. In quotable news, heard a few good ones lately: "I have a crush on every boy." - perfect companion "I believed in myself too much." - homegirl on #420 "We're out of Rolling Rock." - God bless you "Williamsburg resident and avid bruncher" - ughhhhhhdjakoeijelkje;lkj!!! lame UPCOMING AWESOME SHOWS: Shark? at Shea Stadium The Death Set at Shea Stadium Crystal Stilts/Woods at 285 Kent The Babies/Ducktails DJ set at 285 Kent The Hairs at Cake Shop Ty Segall/White Fence/Strange boys at Webster Hall The So So Glos at Shea Stadium Big Troubles/The Hairs at Glasslands Summerstages with Beach House and lots of other bands i hopefully will be biking to.. Oh and BTW, all i got for record store day was a 12 hour shift and a Davila 666 CD. (wanted Nobunny real bad) But hey! i'm rich by my standards and i don't quite have a turntable here...so i count my blessings, iPod dock and everything <3

its getting nice in here..

its getting to be a good time feeling type of mood. IOW, i'm starting to really enjoy just BEING here. being as in physically as well as socially, contemplatively, and emotionaly all around just being right here. in brooklyn, ny, where i chose to call home about 6 weeks ago. its been fabulously tough, emphasis on both.. i think the whole 3 days off and making plans suited me just fine, a listmaker at heart. The beach yesterday had me smiling cheek to cheek, feeling like an actual kid..a kid that grew up without too much worry, just enough to still look forward to a trip out to the waves. I almost impromptued my "King Of The Beach" routine right on the sand.. i digressed..a 45 minuted jog in the morning had me a lil ready for just lazing..and that i did. afterwards, had a great nite with ex roomie julia, and found my first, admittedly, yet best margarita here to tally. Woods on s. 4th has an excellent taco truck and i was super stoked to get 2 texas fixes...
Today i tcbd and was pleasantly surprised by the pop up listing of Future Islands at Death By Audio tonite.. thought about seeing Puro Instinct and John Maus at glasslands, but the cheap cover and super duper <3 for FI had me giddy..
The set and sound was spectacular.. ive yet to see a show at DBA that isn't sardined packed and sweaty as a steam room on acid. srsly, god bless $1 water bottles! I was still not let down. didn't get 10 arms lengths from the front, but didn't really matter. The opening two songs from first full length Wave like Home were Beach Foam and Little Dreamer..they provided such anticipation for the bulk of the set, hit after hit from Tin Man, Walking Through that door, IOD, and VE.. all so lovely..so many fucking handclappers and even crowd surfers! this crowd had their shit together.. how can you not with such an endearing and comedic front man!?? GAWD!!! Plus two new ones that had been played "4 or 5 times". They were more in the vein of Wave Like Home versus the dancier beat driven In evening Air.. But was totally enthralled..esp since i knew i wouldnt get to see Washed Out in a couple of weeks.. this totally hit the spot. speaking of spots.. K Spot will be here in like two weeks and Mom and Dad this sunday. THese events most likely have an impact on my sudden surge of endorphins..way excited! bro downs with new roomates never hurt, and neither does a good hard jazzericize session (speckled with 2+ routines that i remember from ATX classes. ) So...referencing the list maker, i feel the time to TCB on that right now..just for clear head purposes:
Good Things:
1. Craig goes to shows with me
2. i've live closer to a beach that is more beautiful than any one i've been to in TX
3. Visitors from TX
4. My balcony
5. Naming a bar Old faithful, even though i've been in the hood about a month
6. Patio soon to be , if not already , opened at No Name Bar
7. Trains arriving 3 seconds after entering the platform
8. Cooking at home
9. Discovering foods on the outs..esp
10. Jogging long distances just to see what's next
11. surprise shows
12. Brooklyn Vegan
13. flip flops
14. settling in
15. 24 hour bakeries
16. rice to riches
17. captured tracks
18. lack of clutter
19. walking
20. i haven't locked my keys/phone inside the house..knock on wood!
21. random awesome texts
22. visitors
23. little italy
24. ppl asking me for directions and confident i gave the right info
25. getting to know brooklyn with a jogging stride


dislikes:
1. haven't taken a bus yet
2. not a crazy awesome place to dance has been discovered
3. the L sucks after hours
4. fear of bedbugs and thrift store shopping
5. no bluebell ice cream
6. overheard in new york (my new twitter tag) is kinda gross
7. missing tons of shows due to work
8. leaving my sewing machine and keyboard to gather dust while i miss them
9. Finding my way around the west villiage..daunting
10. fewer laughs, acronyms, and shouting.. must be remedied!!

all in all..things are feeling bright.. weather is nice..looking forward to:
1. rollerskating
2. pies n thighs
3. scarves
3. finishing the book on hasidic judaism
4. Coney Island
5. East River ferry
6. Lower rent, perhaps fingers crossed
7. Local shows/side project collaborations TBD
8. VISITORS!!

ok ok gotta quit with the head space...just had to TCB for the moment.. esp since there's not much space here. luckily, nooks and corners are in exploratory and curios stages.. i can't wait to plop down , make a grass angel and just breathe..then maybe a spelling lesson? forgive me.
xo
erin

Northside festival

Sure was a festival this weekend. Northside Festival in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, very young, very much an in utero sister festival to sxsw, which in my opinion, is a nice thing. Now that i live here among the thick of the area of said festival,i can honestly appreciate the compact geography and smaller size of the northside fest.. versus the beast that is SXSW. even living on the outskirts of sxsw, where i had to bus or car it ,i could still bitch about the shows taking over my favorite venues and bars knowing i didn't have a space to call home...that means YOU Nomad bar, Longbranch Inn, etc..i love you but i want a quite calm amongst the storm ;) But here, yeah, it was small enough to where the venues didn't amass into a complete takeover and a lot of the shows were in sepparate rooms from the hangout bar area. Plus, I could walk everywhere, including home, yeah!! That said, i enjoyed both aspects..the shows and the scene. i must say i was most enamoured with X-Ray Eyeballs, an apparent brooklyn fave introduced to me by my go to goer of shows, craig (!!!) They had me hooked on first listen and nearly took down the ceiling at death by audio at an unofficial showcase this past weekend. I had visions of shapes have fangs or the apeshits or one of Penny's many projects at beerland as i listened. Ass shots, weiner shots, you name it :


also caught The Oh Sees as said venue, the sweatiest, DIYest, smokiest indoors, you could walk by and miss it totalliest venue i've been to here. They killed it.

Surprise sneak in to Music hall of Williamsburg brought Thelonius London, and honestly was captivated. Never a fan before. Clueless in fact. But i see the rage now...

Other highlights included a decent outdoor set by wavves, who was much funner w/ KSpot at FFF BTW...it was a weird setup..the crowd was blocked 10 feet from the steve madden stage and apparently nathan was a lil under the weather..Still played my faves and i was happy to see it, big as all Jesus pot leaf T shirts and all. Beirut gave me a new reason to love them playing on the same stage...go figure. Surfer Blood gave me chills with Catholic Pagan, and GBV did 3 fucking encores. yes emphasis on 3 and fucking, cuz these dudes have been around the block and still do kicks and mic swinging, yelling.. and 3 encores. Woven Bones show also blew my mind and cant hardly believe the transformation of Andy and his new crew. A +

Last day i opted for Blair and Airwaves at Glasslands... super duper cool to see Blair solo, WOW! and despite sound and mix issues, Airwaves brought the songs that made me smile. Go Knock Out.

I also became infatuated with Fergus and Geronimo..a brooklyn band that i'd heard of but never experienced. I heard TV personalities, The Clean, Gogol Bordello, and all kinds of gypsy craziness and i figured an accordian would make its way on stage at some point.
In other Hardly Art news, i saw Collen Green (the east coast version of Best Coast) and was amped TTM hearing her solo and electric. Sweet lady and a drum machine, a guitar, pink sunglasses, and a voice that made me jealous. YES.

Above and beyond, a great weekend.. missed diamond rings and the strange boys, atlas sound, porcelain raft, reading rainbow, and Dom. whatcha gonna do? I was able to work and see shows and get paid. That spells FUCK YEAH in my lil book.
Speaking of pay, more of it woulda resulted in a splurge to see Foster The People and Gardens and Villa ... or a venture out to see Hooray for Earth DJ in Greenpoint last night.. but rest was much needed.
Many more brooklyn musings to come... so many more i could type for hours..but the sun comes up early here and i have readily available project runway to watch..more to come after a lil R and R and cable TV xoxo

Hello New York!

i arrived in the lovely Brooklyn last wednesday..and i've had no time to do anything but drag my booty all over this burrough looking for a fucking apartment. The search has been maddening, frustrating, and enlightening. I thought i had discretion and selective skills when dealing with our friend craigslist, however...I came upon a couple of trainwrecks as of late. 1) Beer-drinking, advice-giving, compulsive cig- smokin in the middle of the afternoon lady (i think) who was slightly successful at her attempts to grow a beard. That was awesome...i mean no judgement, live your life, just prolly not a good fit for me and and the 2 other people who were involved with the living situation. NEXT
2) damn seriously had to body spray myself after goin into this one dudes place..rust and mold and who-knows-what smell from his kitties, rain leaking thru roof, and i think he had an aversion to using the lights...dungeon y'all....Sheesh, i vanillafied myself immediately after so as to not offend the next apartment owner! dude, i wll not be cast out as a big fat smelly NO WAY upon arrival just cuz i was dumb enough to actually think this apt was liveable...and after you fell asleep and never called...after you still have the place for rent even though its 700 ABP in a prime williamsburg location. no wonder.
I'm not even that clean, girly, or prissy...and i've seen some shitty apts in my time in this city..but wowzass So...the search goes on...and buying a can of soda for a buck and a half just to pee somewhere..lets keep it up.. woo hoo!

more important news, aka fun in new york news: i finally met one of my blip friends, Craigz. We met for Karaoke Underground on saturday. This was awesome, my first nite to actaully go out and have a lil fun here. Craigz (yes, its habit to add that z, his name is craig) is fuckin A!! we had a blast, he was an excellent sport and we sang the vaselines "Son of a Gun" with Julia...and then later Julia and i sang "Damaged Goods.) The stage was really elevated and the crowd was so excited..it was like a normal concert of covers of your favorite songs. Congrats KU, i think you have won the crowd over!

Last nite, after a brief ray of sunshine in apartment hunting forecast, i was feeling like celebrating and catching my first show. God bless Craigz for getting me to go.. I saw Widowspeak and The Vivian Girls at 285 Kent, a nice converted warehouse with white walls, black graffiti, high ceilings, a disco ball, and a makeshift bar that actually served wine, but more importantly, $3 budweisers..OMG!
Widowspeak was gently sweet, but the real treat was vivian girls. i admittedly wasn't crazy about them 3 years ago during sxsw...not disappointed, just a lil curious about why so much hype to come..anyhow, i was certainly willing to see the newer and more developed VGs...sooo not let down! fandom resurrection!! First off, the band is now only 3 ladies (saw them with 4 or 5 before). This set up is essential for this band, there need not be any frills here..and they sound a lot tighter. Second, the sound -after a few micpops/crackles from the monitor- was pretty fucking great. Third, these girls stole my heart with their set...it ran the spectrum from a punked-out Lush to a sweet and more savory Holly Golightly. These songs flowed in and out of one another, even with the tempo changes and dynamics of each. Mad props to the set order and the entire set in general. Lastly, it was fucking refreshing to see a band back from tour, playing at home, unfazed by the sound mishaps, and in a proper sized venue. I think the VGs thrive in a setting like this over a festival type space, displaced from the crowd and serious fans. It was a perfect way to see em..despite what Craigz deemed a "hipster moshpit" to our left. I am soo happy i went.

Coming up is the Northside festival all over brooklyn...not sure exactly how its gonna work since i'm a rookie, but the line up is pretty swell. holiday shores, GBV, wavves, takka takka, the black hollies, atlas sound, sooo many!! i'll shut up cuz who knows if i'll even see anything.

And so it goes.. one week down. I have to find an apartment and start getting on with life. Its amazingly weird not having a job or a home. Amazingly awesome regarding the job. Im blessed for Julia's space and her lovely roomates.. but i feel unable to accomplish anything without cultivating my own space. Attitude has been up and down, but all in all, it has to get better. Patience is a virtue. I'm ready for a dance nite. I can't believe its been a whole month since i've danced and i'm 3 weeks in to jazzercise withdrawal. suck sucks..i need some advice in those departments.. No Jsize at the YMCA in greenpoint, but aerobic dance and punk rope? those sound fun.

ok, off to the races for now. umbrella and quarters in tow.

the big 3

three shows in three days. im so tired, i can only hope that the sxsw party-a-thon wont ruin me with fatigue like the past few nites. all for a great cause though. won't lie to you, it is always a pleasure seeing the laughing, and sunday nite was a great preview. last nite i caught the Elephant 6 Holiday Tour. my new crush is Julian Koster, former member of NMH plus founding member of the music tapes. i must admit a lil disappointment with the whole evening, forgive me E6 Gods ;) The Olivia Tremor Control covers were by far the best of the bunch. And if you were in the crowd i hope you like Elf Power as much as i did cuz the set was heavy on the elf. no complaints;) no 5 fingering anyone, just a brush on the back of Scott Spillane, which really is kinda cool.. the band changed my life. i hate the word, but yeah, in an entirely EPIC way. so onto tonite, PS I Love You and Diamond Rings. A-FUCKING-MAZING!! PS I Love you's first time in texas, and they killed it. had to turn to my friend ashley cuz i was stuck in that damnit, who does he remind me of?!?! mode. WOlf Parade. DUH. homeboy Pete from PSILOVEYOU sounds like spencer krug. to the fucking max. not a mystery, but God bless ash for getting it off my mind for the rest of the set. speaking of the set, my ears were bleeding. stood way too close and the guitar amp was slaying everything. but it was powerful and right to just get lost in. esp when J Mascis riffs came stabbing at the crowd from said amp. it was such a pump up for Diamond Rings. I found myself 8 counting Jazzercise steps to the beats, and had nice front and center viewing capabilities. i almost decided to wait until sxsw to catch them, but holy geez this was one great show. without all the riff and raff. elfgirl needs sleep now. xo

Pre Spring post

surprise of the day...Sunday Jazzercise class... i never go on sundays, and today was just what i needed after waking up to a dreary morning. Jazzercise has been a Godsend to me, ever since i became too disenchanted with my neighborhood to jog..and i go because i'm sick of the normal scenery of the standard 3 miles, and I love the incorporation of actual dance routines into a cardio workout. Plus i get to hear some awesome music. most of which i would never choose to listen to whilst cleaning the house, driving around during various errands..or anyfuckingtime for that matter. I'm now better schooled on Katy Perry, Beyonce, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and so many more.. Today was completely surprised to hear "Don't You Evah" by Spoon during the pre weight segment.. "They're from Austin" homegirl Kate announced. She always talks about the music (which i love about her leading the class. plus anyone with a pulse can tell she's an ex drill team member, and totally loves the extra rhythmic step she adds to all the 8 count routines.yes!!) I also heard some Scissor Sisters..apparently two SS songs have made it onto Jazzercise routine playlists. Flor-ida i heard also, and realized i've been pronouncing it wrong the whole time. An old remix of Rick Springfield also made it into the mix today, and i thought "GODDAMNIT i wanna DJ this soo fucking bad!!" Shakira has me movin my hips and feeling a lil extra brazilian and booty bangin all the time. we did a mambo once too.. one of my favorite routines. i never knew that the step-ball-change i abandoned when i was 8 years old would have so much impact on my life a good (CHRIST!) 25 years later. sheesh. i can only hope i get some J-Cize into my life up in the Northeast. speaking of...lots of headway has been made, and things are quickly progressing..just need to unload some seriously unimportant tangible goods, book my ticket, and its showtime!
speaking of... shows! ahh yes, its a show week for sure.. i saw the laughing tonite. got lost in a plethora of soundscapes yet to be topped by any band in the ATX in my humble opinion. BTW, Grant plz don't ever cut that hair!! plus caught a bit of International waters, a new ATX band that tickled my ears quite a bit. Tomorrow i'm going to the Elephant 6 Holiday Reunion Tour. Hoping for a jeff mangum sighting, but will be certainly pleased to see old members of Elf Power, Marshmallow Coast, OTC, sunshine fix, NMH, music tapes and whoever else wants to chime in..playing old tunes. i haven't done much research on this tour, and didn't have my hopes up too high.. after reading the 33 1/3 series on Neutral Milk Hotel and realizing the importance and DIY normalcy (for the time at least) innerworkings of the whole collective...I have to see it. To me, it seems completely imaginative and somewhat enchanting and admirable for this blogospheric/internet culture we now reside in that this collective remained the family that never lost its core beliefs.. at least i hope not. And after attending show after show of side project after offshoots of side projects, it could be pretty magical to see a culmination of it all. honestly i'm kinda hoping for all covers of the greats..i see so much new stuff nowadays..and i love it to the max.. but we all can pinpoint a time when a song or a genre really defined ourselves as obsessive creative freaks. and quite frankly i'm glad to enjoy the circus..and if it sucks, well, i'm still gonna see my husband at ATP in New Jersey in October...yeeeeaah.
Night 3 of show week is PS I Love You with Diamond Rings just added to the bill. kinda really jazzed about this show. Tuesday nite, the first day of march.. a great way to start off the March of madness.. the month of my birthday and the departure of my best friend to the city of Atlanta. The month i finally get to see Ray Allen go balls deep vs the Spurs. I'm gonna do my best to not be sad. I'll prolly cry at Frank Smith on Thursday. but that's alright. we've still got the mid march mania of SXSW to keep the demons away. at least for a lil while until real life and real feelings set in. Again, more commentary on the move (yeah yeah,read it and huff..it IS on my mind all the time...sorry for the boring yet most prioritized thoughts going on in elfland)..gotta switch banks and switch bills, rent my room out, and cut several ties to texas on the accounting tip. Plane ticket to arrive and be booked within the next week or so. Then everything becomes real. reality. yes, its gonna come some time, and it can't be blanketed by the many attempts of doing so as of late..times have been good...but knowing that a new real version of living is on the horizon...thats a scary yet exhilirating way to feel. its showtime for elfgirl. rehearse everyone, cuz we all need to perform TTM! gnite loves.
oh wait, PS! i think the Mohawk was playing some of the new walkmen tonite, and it fucking rocked. i coulda been wrong, but whatever, shit sounded great and reminded me to not give up on bands that stole my heart once or twice <3



3/1/2011 fuckies! BTW, homeboy didn't change clothes all week last year.. but his makeup was perfection ;)

time baby

another brilliant nite in austin that deserves a write. saw two ends of the ATX spectrum, highlighted by the simple notion that gettin across the entertainment district should always be quick and free *just say NO to night time parking meters!!
so went to beerland w/ GFace to see Black Gum. was oh so pleasantly surprised.(well the rough tracks i'd heard had me excited so perhaps surprised isn't the best word. who cares) Nonetheless, Badger on the drums, Travis on guitar and IDK who on bass..it was on LD for sure! sloppy muddled vocals, jangly guitar, drum lady totally TCBing mad style, a song named "the longest two minutes of your life" ..played with a Harlem/woven bones asthetic..it was amazing..it belonged in the matador Casual Victim Pile. One song, introduced as "we're gonna sing about the beach!" made my receptors go in high gear happy. Saw some really old faces (srsly considered before going that i may be the only person over 30 in the venue..NOT TRUE) and was happy that the same Austintes AKA ex models, ppl at afterparties of the olden years, ex/semi musicians were in attendance. Beerland will always be hip apparently because that's where everyone starts, and everyone stays, if that makes sense. reminisced about the too many times i'd played on that same stage and how FUCKING LOUD the stage monitors were, how shit wasn't heard at all in the crowd.. esp regarding vocals. always wondering how it sounded after playing... I didn't miss This Microwave World oddly enough, it was a run that raced like many an austin band..it was in a happy sort of memory zone i fell into..for a brief moment...i wish i coulda stayed for Soft Healer but made my way across town to see Frank Smith. I tell you, i've been waiting for the new 2011 Frank Smith song births..and sure enough 2 new songs were delivered. Evolved and raw, harder and with even more strut and swagger. jaw dropped. small splices of noisy Spiritualized feedback, a hint of CCR, and vocalist Aaron sinclair had thoughts of Kurt Cobain yelling as he did on "Drain You". I'm not even sure this can be conceptualized for a bluesy americana band, and it may not seem appropriate. but seriously, a whole new level was achieved. it. was. intense. best live so far by the FS.
Last nite dream of seeing Wild Nothing was realized. Saw with K-Spot and new fan Jeannettieo. the set was eternally perfect in every way. the band was gracious and i got the feeling they weren't expecting to play for a packed ass room. as i fan, an admirer, i think " how the fuck could they not realize it?", but honest to GOD they seemed humble and surprised. Abe Vigoda pretty much rocked it after a few songs and some sound board realizations. Just a few adjustments were made and the sound was grand. Props to the keyboardist/guitarist. unprops for the crowd not allowing me to see WTF kind of synth he was playing. Wah, wah.
Kspot and i both came to the oddest conclusion: this band Abe Vigoda rules but singer sounds like dude from the bravery (or the futureheads/kaiser chiefs/whoeverthefuckelse was buzzband at the time during SXSW ..um...06 perhaps??) either way couple the bands and above and beyond the best show i've seen at Red 7 inside.
in other news, i have a DJ gig in a few weeks. Its been since november and that was a wedding. i wonder WTF to play. i wonder if Traktor still works. I wonder how the skipped AP at danny's is going. I wonder where all the hot Brazilians were tonite since it was Carnival.. oh wait, perhaps they were AT carnival festivities ') oh well..
things are still grand when you let them be. even when you venture back to past stomping grounds you thought were not welcoming or welcomed for that matter. There's no place like home.

HOLY GOATS and SMOKES!!

damnit i need a whole day to write about this but a lovely photo will have to suffice for now...see below and good gracious, aren't we all so excited?!? BTW, what's with the (Neutral Milk Hotel) next to my husbands name? if you get tix for the intimate mangum-only monday nite and need that set of parentheses to know what you're in for....well..GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. i hope you at least have the best fucking life changing, heart healing, magical nite of your life (TRYING not to be jealous)...OR sell them to someone who will weep in the presence of such majesty, AKA elgirl... here! present and accounted for! check! pick me, pick me, pick me!



more to come, OMG! WTF?!?!!!

4 is the magic number

its 4 am here, which is appropriate cuz i have exactly 4 things i want to write about just briefly before haytime. geez if only i had 4 hours!

1) recorded:
i just got a collection of ariel pink and matt fishbecks Holy SHit. i'm not too schooled on this but i'm becoming a quick lover of all things holy shit. i think of TV personalities when i hear it.. church bells and both anger and sadness..and i long to see it live, even though i prolly never will.. the politics and passion and beauty of it all..they have my heart in so many ways.. how can they span such great lengths to connect to us all on a myriad of different levels/topics/interests.. God bless em.. Hers's my favorite "My Whole Life Story"



2)Live: I went to see The Laughing tonite. I've been a bad fan. its been months since ive seen them. and GODDAMNIT i wanted to leave the venue and weep of happiness of the wonder of this show. the growth as a band is astounding *been following for years* and id o hope they make it out on another tour.. i saw Grant just morph into an animal on the drums, and Logan leading the party with sexy, fluttering vocals.. which were totally audible just enough to hear the harmonies provided by Grant and new bass player Matt. I can't describe the influences i heard.. the old Jungle/experimental/indie rock pop labeling just cant cover the capacity of this band. I heard 4 new songs tonite. i wonder if they've been listening to Bear in Heaven.. 16 deluxe, sonic youth, psychadelic furs, syd barrett, gauntlet hair .. a fucking melting pot of the most delicious stew of tunes ever.. i wonder if they thought the jagged waterfalls of noise (via angular guitar, intriguing and low ended- as they should be- basslines, and blankets of synth noise) needed some oomph? cuz outta nowhere, loud bombastic and frantic drumming came in, and immediately a different (same) song was played. I was so impressed with the unexpected tempo changes, the rise and fall of the pace and energy, the noisy and melodic atmosphere, affected so perfectly with hints feedback and simple slices of noise and the crescendos down into a Lower Dens sort of jam zone...plus the feeling of wanting another song RIGHT NOW! it was a truly brilliant show.. the best of 2011 so far..


here's and old video of The Laughing as captured by Leah Ross, an angel of a videographer;


3) I'm currently reading the 33 1/3 series about Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane Over the Sea by Kim Cooper. I'm astounded at the closeness and open forum she's achieved with her account of the elephant 6 collective and the role Neutral Milk Hotel played during that beloved time in the late nineties in Athens, Georgia. I adore the back story, personal tidbits, and each members respective journies into the band... some of them involve New york city, Austin ,Texas (hook em fuckies!) ,and various other places around the country . I'm going to have to re read a few chapters with album art in hand, and Aeroplane on repeat in the itunes. i can't wait to finish. and I"m def going to the Elephant 6 Holiday Tour. I've refallen in love with this magic, even though i wasn't privvy to it during its inception. am i overindulging in a fantasy right now? cuz this book is blowing my mind in terms of the collectiveness and unconventional circus ride that made the elephant 6 collective we have pasted in all our heads. I hope not. i want to believe.

4) I'm leaving Austin. GODDAMNIT it was one of those nites when you see all the people you want, and really feel like your town is special. You miss some folks you wish were with you, but you see some folks that have been off the radar, such as yerself. Seeing The Laughing, seeing old friends, visiting beautiful special people for just a wonderful few moments.. it all meant so much.. it will be hard to leave..but i'm keeping my eyes on an unknown prize. a lil scary..but i know that new faces will be loved and the ones still here always go on tour.

side notes from tonite: Pajama pants get you everywhere at the ghetto convenient store, i miss being on stage with an instrument. DJing is a must and soon. i did not see Javelin tonite, and i don't regret it at the moment. hiding out for a while is grand. i think i saw some of my substitute teaching students at the laughing show. could be wrong but they all had cokes and fat Xs on the hands. weirdness. did not feel old despite said realization <3
loves from a friday nite,
elfgirl

Million Young or bust!

Oh my Million Young !! it was an anticipated show for K-Spot and myself , finally ending in a saturdaynite supersatisfaction! i admit the whole one man with beats/ chillwave tip is pretty trendy. i will also admit that usually i love it. Washed Out, Memory Tapes, Ducktails, Toro Y Moi...you're all pretty tasty. With the exception of ducktails i've seen each of these bands live.. and well, Million Young takes the ice cream cake. Teen Daze was a solid opener. One lil guy, some nice ambience, sweeping synths, a few hits on the sampler for beats and gunshot effects. kidding, hee hee. Excellent match for Million Young.. when its just one person up there, hopefully they have charisma. And Teen Daze did. Thankfully dancing to his own tunes in a way that seemed very authentic raising his hands in the air.. this type of behaviour can really annoy the shit out of me. but like washed out, teen daze was charming and inviting, both personally and musically. nice jokes and an "I LOve Lone Star!" thrown into the mix.

The finale of course was Million Young, who i thought was going to set up with just a laptop. Curiosity had already risen when a drum kit was backlined so hrmmm..... could this be an actual live band performance?!? Did Mike Diaz bring his homies from Florida along for tour?!? OMG yes indeed! (apparently 5 ppl in a sedan we were told) A four piece Million Young played a full set from Sunndreamm EP and Be So True EP. I can say much about shows not having dull moments, hell, most of them do.. but this entire set filled the room with blissful noise and dancey beats way hotter than most chillwavers.. god that was terrible, ha. i must say no offense to any one man showmen, but the sound was 100 times more tremendous when it wasn't just a computer making it. The kick drum was throbbing, loud and unsampled guitars, and the same filtered and ethereal vocals from the recordings..it came together so miraculously. Perfectly placed samples when used, perfectly proportioned free space, intricate 80's synth blips, bells, and tons of energy. Even the slower songs like "Mien" and "Day We Met" were not lets-get-drilled-and- sway..even these songs had requisite beat acknowledgment. heads bobbed, feet tapped, hips shook. and geez when "CYnthia" and "Weak Ends" came on, it was like watching Delorean at FFF fest. One couldn't help but dance, smile, laugh, and lose their wits for a moment..hell maybe even better due to sheer proximity to the band and the crowd. apples and oranges. both delicious.

I can never say enough about bands putting the fun into performing. as much as i already liked Million Young recorded, my fandom has increased from seeing them play live, with such a grand stage presence, vivacity, and humility. AKA no pretense or ego to get in the way. real instruments can always enhance virtual ones.

coupla highlights:
*When the first few notes of "Calrission" came on KSpot and I turned to each other and said "this is my favorite!" last nite really couldn't have been sweeter
*Million Young outro of Gorillaz wha? neato!
*realizing that i don't always know where the bands i like are from but pretty sure that Yo Majesty was the only one from Florida i marginally liked until now. Thanks Million Young, maybe i shoulda looked into that garage punk booze cruise docking outta Fla ;)
*million young is an oxymoron in the context of age. wow, i love that shit!

stay young lovelies. here's "Mien"

beach fossils knocked my socks off

i'm a little drugged up on post wisdom tooth removal meds, but i didn't wanna end the day w/o raving about the amazing fucking show Beach Fossils put on last nite. They were opening for Here We go Magic, but me and the K-Spot were there for one reason only. Not let down. right up front. bassist john took his shoes off. same with drummer. proper reverb on vocals. it was just right. renewed my faith in the soundsystem at emo's. I see waaay to many sold out shows there, and i'm usually forced to the outside stage left area...and it sometimes isn't even worth it.. BUT last nite, it was grand. To top it off, Krissie knew said bassist John and before she could intro me, he said he used to come see my band play in austin when he was in high school. "weren't you in some electropop band a long time ago?" he asked . i mentioned This Microwave World. "Yes!" he replied, and he's seen us on the very same stage i just watched him on. i was shocked that he remembered..i mean, years ago ! prolly 2004. but a sweet moment indeed and another reminder of how fucking small this world is.. and the ties btwn brooklyn and austin are sooo close. In other news, FFF fest lineup is officially out. IT IS STUNNING. Period. now how do i go for free? can i lend a piece of gear to a stage? can i do internshit stuff? gotta make it happen. more to come soon. like i said, i'm out of it. i feel like Wavves or best coast. it feels kinda awesome, and yes super excited they are coming for FFF. goodnite!